I first heard about the Daler Rowney Pocket Sketchbook on an art supply website somewhere– unfortunately I’ve lost the link, but it was a glowing review that got me very intrigued, especially since it was said to be available at a very low price from Walmart. It took me a few tries to find a … Continue reading Notebook Review: Daler Rowney Pocket Sketchbook
Watercolors are a great companion for many notebooks. If you like to draw or just decorate your pages, adding a splash of color is easy with a pocket size watercolor set. Lately I’ve become a bit of a collector of different watercolor boxes, some of which I’ve mentioned in previous posts where I’ve reviewed watercolor … Continue reading Watercolor Sets
You wouldn’t think this would be major news, but I realized that I hadn’t bought a notebook in quite a while! Since 12/30/22, to be exact. My stash is well beyond what I will probably ever need and I haven’t seen anything new and exciting that I just had to try, so I’ve actually been … Continue reading I Bought a Notebook Today
The first question about this watercolor notebook is what its brand name actually is. The Amazon listing and the label on the shrinkwrap list the brand as “Chris W.” But the paper band and the stamp on the notebook itself say “Mairtini.” I guess I’ll call it the Mairtini Watercolor notebook, since that’s what’s on … Continue reading Chris W. / Mairtini Watercolor Notebook Review
Before the holidays, I was talking about my wishlist of a few notebook/sketchbook/art supply items. Santa came through! I expected to receive James McElhinney’s Sketchbook Traveler book, and I wasn’t disappointed. McElhinney’s pocket size sketches are reproduced life-size, each accompanied with text about the location depicted. Additional material in the book gives some lessons about … Continue reading Christmas Books
I stumbled across an old article from Wallpaper about a 2015 exhibition of the sketchbooks of British architect Chris Wilkinson, at the Royal Academy. Looks like it must have been a very interesting show! Here is an image from one of Chris Wilkinson’s sketchbooks: I also love this image of his pile of sketchbooks. Almost … Continue reading Chris Wilkinson’s Sketchbooks
I’ve mentioned this relatively new Moleskine product a couple of times (Moleskine Monday: Interesting News from Japan About New Products, Moleskine Monday: New Art Collection), but haven’t written more extensively about the portrait format Watercolor Notebook (vs. the more typical landscape format Watercolor Album). I’ve had one for a while, but just started using it. … Continue reading Moleskine Portrait Format Watercolor Notebook Review
The end of the year is always a fun time to think about daily carry notebook choices– your current year diary or planner is looking nicely worn in, and you’re itching to start a new one! This year, I’m also getting close to needing to swap out my daily notebook/journal and daily carry sketchbook. Here’s … Continue reading Daily Carry Notebook: What I’m Using Now, and Next
This is a really cool idea that I might have to try myself! Russell Stutler has been featured here before as a notebook addict. His website is a great resource for sketching inspiration, and he has done a deep dive testing popular pocket sketchbook brands, with Moleskine and Stillman and Birn among his favorites. But … Continue reading Russell Stutler’s Sketch Binder Notebook
Some of my favorite images from artists’ sketchbooks are from Eugene Delacroix’s travel notebooks. A new book now translates his notes into English for the first time. In 1832 the 34-year-old Eugène Delacroix, already well known for his Orientalist works, accompanied a French diplomatic mission to Morocco and travelled through Algeria and Andalusia. His exposure … Continue reading Delacroix’s Notebooks, Now in English
